Tag Archives: Property

With Christmas Day almost upon us, we wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2018 has been another fantastic year for us at Check 4 Houses thanks to our lovely clients in Fleet, Farnborough, Frimley, Mytchett, Aldershot, Maidenhead and beyond. Over the past 12 months, we have saved our clients an amazing £230,000 when compared to standard agency fees. That’s an average of over £5,900 per sale. What would you do with the extra £6,000? It would certainly make a big difference towards your new home.

Speedy service

One of our highlights of the year was our fastest sale where our clients managed to complete within just 28 days of accepting an offer. Given that one in three house sales collapse within three weeks, and that many sales that do succeed can drag on for months, that’s a fantastic achievement. It just shows the importance of using the right agent, to find the right buyer. That’s something we pride ourselves on. We do our homework to ensure we present the best buyers and manage sales closely through to completion.

Service above and beyond what you might expect

At Check 4 Houses we are passionate about delivering exceptional levels of customer service, which has earnt us a place in the Best Estate Agent Guide 2019. Even though we do not do lettings, this year we actually ended up sourcing a short term let for a prospective buyer. This enabled us to keep a buyers sale on track. The buyer was able to relocate the area and the ongoing chain remained intact.

An honest estate agent in Fleet

Our aim has always been to offer a professional, genuine and reliable service. We don’t over-value properties just to get business or overpromise on what we can deliver. We firmly believe honesty is the best policy, and we’re delighted that clients like Mr B Attree from Farnborough agree:

“Many thanks to Paul and all his staff for a job well done!

From the outset, Paul was frank and honest about the market conditions and the value of my home. We agreed to market the property using ‘offers in excess of’ and within a week I had 13 viewings and several offers including several over the asking price!

Check 4 Houses were always attentive and extremely professional!

I can’t thank them enough for all of their hard work, great communication and attention to detail throughout.”

Brexit and beyond

Of course, Brexit is coming and people are worried about all sorts of things from holidays to our harbour ports. We don’t know yet exactly what effect it will have on the property market. But we do know, Brexit or not, that people still need to move home. Be it new jobs, new partners, new babies, new schools or simply new surroundings, people will always want to move house, whatever happens to property prices. We also know that our local area around Fleet, Farnborough and Aldershot is a highly desirable area. Good commuter services to London and access to the motorway network are major plus points. We have a low crime rate, good schools, a wide variety of sports facilities and stunning green spaces to enjoy. Demand is still likely to outstrip supply.

After such a busy year we will be taking a few days off over Christmas and New Year. Our offices are now closed and will reopen on Thursday 3rd January at 9 am.

If you are thinking about selling your home in 2019 then please give us a call on 01252 819725. We would be delighted to give you a free valuation as well as talk you through our competitive pricing options, personal service and price match guarantee.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us at Check 4 Houses.

When choosing which estate agent to sell your property there are lots of factors to consider. What experience of the local area do they have? What is their track record of selling properties similar to yours?

People sometimes get persuaded by high valuations and promises of buyers just waiting to walk through your door. But one question you shouldn’t overlook is what length of contract you will be asked to sign for.

Check the small print

Even if you have already decided which agent to go with, always check the small print of the contract. Contact periods can range from 4 weeks to 4 months, depending on the agent. On the one hand, it is only reasonable to give an estate agent enough time to do their job. Drafting sales particulars, conducting viewings and managing negotiations all takes time. Potential purchasers may want to come back for a second or even a third viewing. They may have to wait for their own property to go under offer before they can proceed.

Having said that, as a seller you don’t want to get stuck with an under-performing agent. For most properties, the maximum interest is in the first few weeks. As your property comes onto the market, you’ll usually get an influx of viewers and have the highest chance of success. What will an agent be doing if your property is still on the market 2 months later, especially if they have other properties to sell? You don’t want to be tied to an agent who you feel isn’t giving you their best, when you could be moving on with a new estate agent and a fresh approach.

Don’t sign a contract for more than 8 weeks

We don’t recommend signing a contract for more than 8 weeks. This strikes the balance of giving enough time for an agent to do their job, whilst giving you the control to move on if they don’t deliver. Your agent should be confident that they can achieve what they say and work hard to keep your custom.

Why not check out our FAQs for answers to questions such as this to help get your property sale moving?

From our Check 4 Houses head office in Fleet, we sell properties in Fleet,Farnborough, Aldershot, Basingstoke, Camberley, Yateley, Farnham and beyond. We can sell your home from just £599 or 0.5% +VAT – saving you thousands in agency fees. Please give us a call on 01252 819725 or contact us and we would be delighted to give you a free, no obligation valuation of your property.

We are delighted the latest independent survey results from HomeOwners Alliance rate Check 4 Houses as the top performing estate agent in Fleet.

The best performing estate agents in your local area

Independent comparison website estateagent4me helps you find the best estate agent in your local area. It compares estate agents against 4 key indicators:

Fees they charge

Average days they take to sell a property like yours

How close they might get to achieving an asking price

How successful they are at selling similar homes

The tool was set up in partnership with the HomeOwners Alliance. The complex statistical engine is fed on a daily basis with property data from over 18,000 estate agents across thousands of different websites. It provides accurate comparison data which is free and impartial. It currently covers over 95% of all property advertised for sale in England & Wales.

Check 4 Houses best estate agent in Fleet

The latest statistics show we have the highest success rate in our local area, with a 69% success rate of selling properties. We take the shortest number of days on average to sell a property at 33 days. We have a track record of achieving 98% of asking prices, because of our realistic approach to pricing.

Providing a genuine, reliable and professional service for half the cost of a traditional high street agent

We are passionate about offering local people in Fleet and beyond the best service at a realistic price. In our latest testimonial, Vikki P says:

“This is the second time I have used Check 4 Houses and for a second time I can’t fault them. From the initial valuation through to completion they provided a professional and friendly service. Unfortunately, there were complications in the chain meaning the sale took a long time and we lost our buyer. Paul and Julie were right back on the case and we resold almost immediately.

I’d highly recommend Check4Houses, excellent service at an excellent price.”

At Check 4 Houses we welcome these plans. Our founder, Paul Hemmings, launched Check 4 Houses back in 2010. Paul recognised the notorious behaviour of some high street estate agents that complicated the house selling process. He wanted to create a professional, flexible and reliable service for customers that was as stress-free as possible; with a personal approach and a cost-effective pricing package.

A new professional era for estate agents

Under the new measures, all estate agents will be required to hold a professional qualification. Currently, anyone can set themselves up as an estate agent. This puts the public at risk from unscrupulous individuals. These changes should ensure that you can trust your property sale or purchase to an individual who is trained for the job, just as you would a surveyor or solicitor. Estate agents will also have to be transparent about the fees they receive for referring clients to solicitors, surveyors and mortgage brokers.

Changes to the house buying process

The Government also announced plans to improve the house buying and selling process through shortening delays and reducing stress. Measures include the use of voluntary reservation agreements to help prevent sales falling through and setting timelines for local authority searches so buyers get the information they need within 10 days. The Government is also setting up a working group to look at ways of speeding up the home buying and selling process by moving some of it online. Another working group will look at introducing new measures to compare conveyancers, to help you make an informed choice.

Providing a genuine, reliable and professional service for half the cost of a traditional high street agent

We are passionate about supporting our customers through the sometimes stressful process of selling their property. In our latest testimonial, Mr Lee says:

“I would highly recommend Check 4 Houses. From the first call of enquiry to final completion Paul and the team were very professional. They always kept in contact when required and were very helpful throughout. I would definitely use Paul and the team at Check 4 Houses again.”

From our head office in Fleet we sell properties in Fleet,Farnborough, Aldershot, Basingstoke, Camberley, Yateley, Farnham and beyond. We can sell your home from just £599 or 0.5% +VAT – saving you thousands in agency fees. Please give us a call on 01252 819725 or contact us and we would be delighted to give you a free, no obligation valuation of your property.

Can you really get the best of both worlds?

Click on the image to read the full article and find out.

For any more information on how to sell your property or a free, no obligation valuation of your house, flat, apartment or bungalow please give us a call on 01252 819725 or contact us. We can sell your property from as little as £599 or 0.5%+VAT, saving you thousands compared to high street agents.

We are delighted that February’s independent survey results from HomeOwners Alliance put Check 4 Houses at the top of the list again. For another month running, we have been rated as the top performing estate agent in Fleet.

The best performing estate agents in your local area

Independent comparison website estateagent4me helps you find the best estate agent in your local area. It compares estate agents against 4 key indicators:

Fees they charge

Average days they take to sell a property like yours

How close they might get to achieving an asking price

How successful they are at selling similar homes

The tool was set up in partnership with the HomeOwners Alliance. The complex statistical engine is fed on a daily basis with property data from over 18,000 estate agents across thousands of different websites. It provides accurate comparison data which is free and impartial. It currently covers over 95% of all property advertised for sale in England & Wales.

Check 4 Houses best estate agent in Fleet

The latest statistics show we are delivering a 77% success rate of selling homes. We take an average of just 16 days to sell properties. That’s less than half the time of our nearest competitors. We have a track record of achieving 98% of asking prices, because of our realistic approach to pricing.

Providing a genuine, reliable and professional service for half the cost of a traditional high street agent

We are passionate about offering local people in Fleet and beyond the best service at a realistic price. In our latest testimonial, Mr Lee says:

“I would highly recommend Check 4 Houses. From the first call of enquiry to final completion Paul and the team were very professional. They always kept in contact when required and were very helpful throughout. I would definitely use Paul and the team at Check 4 Houses again.”

January’s independent survey results from HomeOwners Alliance put Check 4 Houses at the top of the list again, rating us as the top performing estate agent in Fleet.

The best performing estate agents in your local area

Independent comparison website estateagent4me helps you find the best estate agent in your local area. It compares estate agents against 4 key indicators:

Fees they charge

Average days they take to sell a property like yours

How close they might get to achieving an asking price

How successful they are at selling similar homes

The tool was set up in partnership with the HomeOwners Alliance. The complex statistical engine is fed on a daily basis with property data from over 18,000 estate agents across thousands of different websites. It provides accurate comparison data which is free and impartial. It currently covers over 95% of all property advertised for sale in England & Wales.

Check 4 Houses best estate agent in Fleet

We are delighted that Check 4 Houses is ranked as the best performing estate agent in Fleet. The statistics show we are delivering a 75% success rate of selling homes. We take an average of 18 days to sell properties – less than half the time of our competitors. We have a track record of achieving 99% of asking prices. This reflects our realistic approach to pricing.

Providing a genuine, reliable and professional service for half the cost of a traditional high street agent

We are passionate about offering people in Fleet, Hampshire and beyond the best service at a realistic price. In our latest testimonial, Mr Bothe from Fleet says:

“I was very happy using Check 4 Houses. Paul was pretty straight-talking and didn’t try to set a high selling price to get the business. I went for the set fee of £718 (inc VAT). The team were all very motivated to sell my property.

I accepted an offer within 3 weeks of going on the market and I know they were doing lots of work in the background to ensure the sale went through.

The start of a new year is always a time for new year’s resolutions and new beginnings. After a busy Christmas, you may be thinking that one of those new year’s resolutions should be about your home. Have you outgrown it? Is there simply not enough space for all those new toys? Or will you need more space for a new baby in 2018? The question is: do you need to renovate or relocate?

If you are in need of more space, then there are two key options: to renovate or relocate. It’s a common question that people face – you only need to watch the Kirstie & Phil series of ‘Love it or List it’ to see that.

Here are our top tips for answering this tricky question and investing your money wisely:

Write down your reasons for thinking about moving or renovating – and ask anyone else in the household to do the same. Then compare. Is it simply more space you need? Or actually a new area as well? Do you still love the property you are in or not? Think about neighbours, access to work, schools etc. Is your current property able to be remodelled or not? You may need to get some expert help with this.

Consult a local builder or architect to get some advice about what may, or may not be possible to do with your existing home. On the one hand, you might not realise what could be achieved. On the other, your ideas might be virtually impossible or prohibitively expensive. Also check out the Planning Portal online which has lots of useful information about what may or may not need planning permission, and can direct you to your local council for more information.

Consider all the costs of moving. To renovate or extend can seem expensive and doesn’t always add significant value to your home. However, when you take into account the cost of stamp duty, solicitors, surveys, removals etc, moving can be an expensive option too. Make sure you have a realistic picture of the cost of both options.

Get your current property valued, and have a look at what’s available on the market. Many of us love to look at Zoopla and Rightmove to see what we could get for our money. But until you have actually had your own property valued, it can be a pointless exercise. You need to have a fair idea of what your current home would sell for, to see if you could afford the extra space or new property that you desire. Most estate agents are happy to provide free valuations. Just make sure you get a valuation from at least three agents. This will give you a more realistic picture and enable you to make a better decision.

Here to help

At Check 4 Houses we are passionate about supporting people through the sometimes stressful and emotional challenge of relocating to a new property. We offer personal contact from start to finish, from local property experts that know the towns and cities of Fleet, Farnborough, Aldershot, Basingstoke, Camberley, Yateley and Farnham inside out. Our internet-based approach means we can sell your home from just £599 or 0.5% +VAT – saving you thousands in agency fees. Please give us a call for a no obligation valuation of your home on 01252 819725 or email info@check4houses.co.uk.

With Christmas Day fast approaching we wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

2017 has been another busy year for us at Check 4 Houses thanks to our fantastic clients. Over the past 12 months, we have saved our clients an astounding £248,000 when compared to standard agency fees. That’s an average of over £4,000 per sale. What would you do with the extra £4,000? It’s a long way towards a new kitchen or a new boiler.

Savings of over £10,000

Our single biggest saving for a client was £10,526 (excl VAT). We sold properties of all shapes and size during the year, with the most expensive sale at £735,000.

Many of the properties we sold were in our local area of Fleet, Frimley, Wokingham, Hook, Farnborough, Camberley and Aldershot, but we have also sold properties as far away as Southampton and London Docklands. Thanks to our internet-based approach we can sell properties anywhere in England from our head office in Fleet, Hampshire.

Going the extra mile for our clients

At Check 4 Houses we pride ourselves on our customer service, which means putting our clients first. This year, this has included even conducting viewings on Skype. Working for a client in Hong Kong, we walked around on Skype showing her the house, as she wasn’t able to view in person.

One sale we worked on was particularly challenging due to the number of cars on the road. Viewers consistently fedback that parking was an issue. After investigating the matter with the vendors and neighbours it turned out the two houses next door were trying to get permission to convert their front lawns into driveways, but one of the main service providers was not giving permission for a ‘box’ to be moved. Due to a personal contact, we were able to contact the service provider and get this authorised, so the work could be done. Once this was completed, the issue was resolved and a sale proceeded very quickly.

Ethical estate agency in Fleet

Whatever our sellers’ circumstances, we pride ourselves on our honest, professional approach and our personal contact from start to finish. As Mr Price from Fleet said “We discovered Check4Houses after viewing a property before selling our own. We hugely valued Paul’s experience of the area and honesty (a rarity I can tell you compared to some of the other independent high street agents in Fleet). We marketed our property through Check4Houses and as well as Paul securing the best possible price, he was on hand throughout the frustrating completion process, dealing with other agents in the chain as well as solicitors. I will use Paul again and have no hesitation in recommending him. Keep up the good ethical work!”

After such a demanding year we will be taking a few days off over Christmas. The offices will be closing on Saturday 23rd December and reopening on Tuesday 2nd January. We are expecting the first six months of the year to be busy, as they are always a popular time to buy and sell houses.

If you are looking to sell your home in 2018 then please give us a call on 01252 819725. We would be delighted to give you a free valuation of your property as well as talk you through our competitive pricing options, personal service and price match guarantee.

November’s independent survey results put Check 4 Houses at the top of the list again, rating us as the top performing estate agent in Fleet.

The best performing estate agents in your local area

Independent comparison website estateagent4me helps you find the best estate agent in your local area. It compares estate agents against 4 key indicators:

Fees they charge

Average days they take to sell a property like yours

How close they might get to achieving an asking price

How successful they are at selling similar homes

The tool was set up in partnership with the HomeOwners Alliance. The complex statistical engine is fed on a daily basis with property data from over 18,000 estate agents across thousands of different websites. It provides accurate comparison data which is free and impartial. It currently covers over 95% of all property advertised for sale in England & Wales.

Check 4 Houses best estate agent in Fleet

We are delighted that Check 4 Houses has been ranked again as the best performing estate agent in Fleet. The statistics show we are delivering a 71% success rate of selling homes. We take an average of 33 days to sell properties. We have a track record of achieving 97% of asking prices.

Providing a genuine, reliable and professional service for half the cost of a traditional high street agent

Statistics are important, but it is always nice to hear from our customers that we are doing a good job too. Our latest Google review from Mr Price says “We discovered Check4Houses after viewing a property before selling our own. We hugely valued Paul’s experience of the area and honesty (a rarity I can tell you compared to some of the other independent high street agents in Fleet). We marketed our property through Check4Houses and as well as Paul securing the best possible price, he was on hand throughout the frustrating completion process, dealing with other agents in the chain as well as solicitors.
… I will use Paul again, and have no hesitation in recommending him here…. Keep up the good ethical work!”